York's leading bespoke carpentry partnership

Who we are and what we do...

Martin Smith

Martin’s South London accent hides the truth that he is in fact a native of Yorkshire.  Brought up in York, Martin honed his skills at the London School of Furniture & Cabinet Making, undertaking training in all facets of furniture design, manufacture and installation.  After completing his City & Guilds qualifications Martin enjoyed success in various appointments within the cabinet making Industry.  Often acting as foreman, Martin was always a mentor to younger craftsmen.  His work in the South London area gained him the accolade of “Croydon’s Finest Carpenter” – a title he proudly uses to this day!

It is a sign of Martin’s standing that in the community of restorative carpentry he was selected to lead significant portions of major restoration work across the UK.  Such work took him to the Royal Pavilion Brighton, Harewood House in Leeds, Farnley Hall in Otley and, more recently, Bishopthorpe Palace near York.

In 2000 Martin returned permanently to his native city of York, using his years of experience to bring truly unique work to customers across the region.

Iago “Ed” Wynn-Jones

When Iago joined the Royal Navy he was bluntly told “Iago - that’s an odd name; we’ll have to call you something like 'Ed' from now on” - well, it stuck!

A native of North Wales, Ed first moved to York as an undergraduate student at the University.  Following graduation, the sea beckoned with 9 years of service in the Fleet Air Arm.  Throughout his military years, Ed yearned to make his long-term interest of carpentry into a career.  Following demobilisation from the service Ed retrained as a carpenter/joiner whilst completing a post-graduate degree in business and management.  When choosing a city in which to settle following his years of travel there could only be one choice...

Tired of what he’d seen in much of the building trade, Ed set up Fern Manor of York in 2009 with a focus on high-quality products combined with excellent customer care.  In an industry where reputation and referral are essential, the customer must be left 100% satisfied.  That was the mission, and it seems to be working.

In 2010 Ed began subletting a workshop from a certain Mr Martin Smith. The rest as they say...

Tough economic times have demanded some creativity by small businesses to remain afloat.  Martin and Ed’s partnership ensures that they can focus their skills on what they do best – the result for you is a seamless, professional and timely experience, working with honest, experienced and knowledgeable craftsmen.

Our support network

We can call upon experienced and qualified tradesmen should your project require their skills.  We can work with plumbers and electricians for the preliminary parts of any project, through to decorators and carpet-fitters for the finishing. Please don’t worry about coordinating all these various trades – it’s all part our service to you.  All our associate craftsmen are suitably qualified, experienced and, of course, 100% reliable.